Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist who has disseminated false information about vaccinations, has been appointed by US President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services, the country’s main health department, reports RTE.
Before withdrawing in August and supporting Mr. Trump in return for a position in the Republican administration, Mr. Kennedy campaigned for president this year as an independent.
“I am “thrilled” about the appointment,” Mr. Trump said on social media, adding that his former opponent “would make America great and healthy again!”
“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Mr Trump added, reports RTE.
The Food and Drug Administration, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the expansive Medicare and Medicaid programs—which offer health coverage to the underprivileged, the elderly, and the disabled—are all under the direction of the Department of Health and Human Services.
With tens of millions of registrants in Medicaid and Medicare, HHS’s fiscal year 2024 budget was $3.09 trillion (€3.17 trillion), or 22.8% of the US government budget, reports RTE.
Mr. Kennedy has stated in interviews and posts on social media platform X in recent weeks that decreasing chemicals in food and tackling what he refers to as the “chronic disease epidemic” of diseases like obesity, diabetes, and autism are among his top concerns.
According to a 2023 Commonwealth Fund analysis, Americans are less healthy than their counterparts in rich nations worldwide, even with high amounts of spending on healthcare and medications, reports RTE.
Additionally, Mr. Kennedy proposed replacing hundreds of workers at the National Institutes of Health and dismantling the 18,000-person Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for ensuring the safety of food, medications, and medical devices.
Kennedy and vaccinations
Mr. Kennedy has come under fire for making incorrect medical assertions, such as the one that vaccinations cause autism. He was charged with disseminating false information about the virus and challenged federal and state limitations put in place during the Covid-19 outbreak, reports RTE.
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